April Henry is an award-winning author of young adult mysteries. Her books are very popular with the middle-school children who frequent my library so I jumped at the chance to read this advanced copy of her latest book, The Lonely Dead. This book is a little different in that the heroine, Adele, can see and communicate with dead people. She's also not your stereotypical teen heroine - she's unpopular, chubby, and until a few days before the events in the story, sluggish and slow thanks to medication she's required to take to keep the voices at bay. The story opens on Adele's discovery of her childhood friend, Tori, in a clearing in the woods she passes on her way home. Confused as to why Tori is there, and still dressed as she was at her party days before, but barefoot and and clean in spite of the pile of dirt she is perched on. Adele soon discovers that Tori is sitting on her burial site. Tori persuades Adele to call in her discovery which she does, anonymously, and becomes embroiled in a murder investigation that results in Adele being the main suspect. Her drinking and uncharacteristic behavior at Tori's party may be her downfall as is her refusal to tell anyone that she sees the dead since she stopped taking her schizophrenia medication.

Henry deals with teen drinking and its dangers, schizophrenia, isolation and many other important teen topics. She does so with a light hand, inserting the pertinent and important information in a non-judgmental or preachy way. I enjoyed the story as will any teen who likes mystery spiced with a little paranormal. Its a little mature for some readers but its a great story.

Not my favorite A.H. Book. The ghost part didn’t really work for me and didn’t seem completely necessary. It was good as a change of pace and I appreciate Henry’s creative challenge, but it wasn’t my cup of tea.

April Henry is always a good read, and The Lonely Dead was no exception. In fact, it may be my favorite to date. The story opens with the main character talking to a dead girl. The action moves swiftly as Adele becomes a suspect in her murder. I really enjoyed the combination of the mystery and the paranormal. I would hand to any reader who enjoys these genres, but particularly to reluctant readers and the length is not intimidating and readers are immediately engaged.
Thank you for the opportunity to preview this title.

Amazing story of a strong girl who fights her diagnosis of schizophrenia. I don't generally like "ghost" stories but this is so well written and the ghost part is so natural to the story that it was compelling reading.

*Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this book!*

Adele is schizophrenic, just like her mother and grandmother, and has been taking medication for years to stop the delusions. It's not like ghosts are <i>actually</i> real, and Adele is smart enough to know that the little dead girl at the Oregon Trail Museum was just her brain making up stories. So, when Adele accidentally misses a pill, and feels alive for the first time in years, she decides to stop taking them... just for a little while.

Of course, seeing the ghost of her ex-best friend is going to make her question things, when said best friend turns up to actually be dead-- and Adele is the main suspect. Could the ghosts actually be real? And will anyone trust a teenager - especially one who was diagnosed schizophrenic, and especially one who just may have been blackout drunk the night it all went down?

*My Notes* I really liked this one! I love the idea that a character with a supernatural power has decided that it must just be a hallucination. If you're used to your brain tricking you, how do you know what to trust? Also, I didn't know whodunnit, and I love it when a story is twisty enough that I can't figure it out.

Henry’s books have been hit or miss with me. I read Run, Hide, Fight Back last year and it was filled with suspense and twists. I also read Shock Point and loved it, but then I moved on to The Girl I Used to Be and it was a bust. The Lonely Dead fit in that category as well. I didn’t despise the writing or characters, but more of the plot. I recently finished City of Ghosts and I adore the Darkest Powers series so the bar was automatically raised when I started the first page of The Lonely Dead. The issue was my expectations since I wanted to be swept away like I had been with similar novels.

I loved the fact that Adele is described as plump. She isn't the typical YA main character who is skinny and average looking but has the hottest guy in the school secretly in love with her. She isolates herself because her classmates think she has a mental illness when in reality she can see and talk with the dead; she doesn't discover this until she stops taking her medication.

I wished there was more mystery and twists with Adele’s journey of trying to solve her former best friend's murder. There's almost a whole chapter on alcohol poisoning during a health class discussion that could have been reduced to get the point across that Tori blacked out and doesn't remember who killed her. Adele makes an impulsive decision to buy a pen that records conversations and she goes around and questions the suspects on her list. They don't offer her any information. Her suspect list was rashly put together based on secondhand information from her classmates regarding what happened after the party. It wasn't thought through.

Despite the fact that I was indifferent about this read, I'm sure others will enjoy it and I definitely will read Henry's future works.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

I have never read April Henry before, but I know my 8th grade students have. I wanted to read this one because I book talk to my students and felt they would be interested in hearing about Adele, Charlie, Tori, and Luke. When Adele is walking home from Tori’s party, she finds Tori dead. Adele and Tori’s boyfriend Luke become suspects in her murder. Charlie’s Uncle begins to investigate and things don’t look good for Adele. I was given an e-book from NetGalley.

I'm an April Henry fan so I immediately requested this one. A good story, fast paced, but seemed a little lacking in character development. I enjoyed the style and pacing but it left me wanting a bit more from the characters and that isn't something Henry's books usually leave me with. Overall will recommend it to my students, especially those who have a desire for a good mystery!

Henry, April. The Lonely Dead. Henry Holt & Co, 2018.

Adele can speak with the dead. Like her mother and grandmother before her, Adele can see and communicate with the dead when she is near the place their remains lie. Diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age, Adele has been taking medication to damper the voices of the dead. But recently she stopped taking her meds, and now her former best friend is speaking to her, right over the place where her body is buried. Soon the murder is discovered, the police are looking for someone to pin the crime on, and Adele is looking like the ideal suspect.

Anyone who enjoys shows like Supernatural or X-Files where people can speak to the dead, combined with shows like Criminal Minds or Bones where there are murder investigations, would enjoy this book. The ending was completely predictable in the way many suspense/thriller endings are, but that didn't make it any less enjoyable. This book focuses mainly on the action of the plot, and it is certainly a compelling story. There is not much world-building and not a ton of character development, but if you are looking for a fast-paced story, this is the one for you.

I can't speak to the use of schizophrenia as Adele's diagnosis, but I do hope some #ownvoices reviewers on Goodreads do address this issue. It is unsurprising that she was diagnosed, especially with the history of her mother and grandmother also speaking to the dead, but I don't know how an #ownvoices reviewer would see the way this issue was handled.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: language, attempted murder
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Read-Alike Authors: Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Nick Lake, Lucy Christopher

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of review.